FOSAMAX 70 MG TABLET
FDA nonproprietary name: alendronate sodium
For 30 tablets
Pharmacies pay
$1,161.12 filed
30 × $38.70415 per EA
CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. 2026-01-01 · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17
Medicare Part D paid
$1,026.60 filed
30 × $34.22012 per EA, Part D average
Medicare's price is not your price.
Medicare Part D · DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv · eff. 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · as of 2026-06-25 · retrieved 2026-10-18
The spread
0.88× estimated
Medicare paid 12% less than pharmacies pay.
Part D averages every strength and form sold under “Fosamax” / “Alendronate Sodium” into one figure, so it is not specific to this NDC.
OpenBill calculation · DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv + nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · NADAC eff. 2026-01-01 (file of 2026-10-14, retrieved 2026-10-17) · Part D 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 (file of 2026-06-25, retrieved 2026-10-18)
Cost-plus estimate
$1,340.29 estimated
$1,161.12 + $174.17 (15%) + $5.00 fee per fill = $1,340.29
This is a model, not a price any pharmacy quoted. Shipping is not included. How it is worked out
OpenBill calculation · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · NADAC eff. 2026-01-01 (file of 2026-10-14, retrieved 2026-10-17)
Open the interactive card Change the quantity, type what you were charged, and see every record in full.
What it is
FOSAMAX 70 MG TABLET is how the CMS NADAC file names this product. The FDA NDC Directory lists it as alendronate sodium, under the trade name “FOSAMAX”.
FDA gives its dosage form as tablet and its route as oral.
The labeler, the company named on the label, is Organon LLC.
FDA’s Established Pharmacologic Class for it is Bisphosphonate.
The NADAC file of 2026-10-14 prices it under one NDC (National Drug Code), 78206-0135-01.
NADAC classes it as a brand-name drug (rate-setting class B), and does not mark it as sold over the counter.
What pharmacies pay
Pharmacies pay $1,161.12 for 30 tablets (30 × $38.70415 per EA, rounded to the cent), by the CMS NADAC file of 2026-10-14; that price took effect on 2026-01-01. That is what pharmacies pay their suppliers, not what they charge you.
NADAC’s explanation code for it: 4, carried forward from the previous file.
This NDC’s NADAC was carried forward from an earlier file (NADAC explanation code 2 or 4), not newly surveyed: it took effect on 2026-01-01. The file is new; the price is not.
NADAC also lists, on the row of one brand NDC, what pharmacies pay for the generic equivalent, a different product: $0.25627 per EA filed.
CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. 2026-09-23 · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17
What NADAC measures · Why 30 tablets · NADAC explanation codes · Carried-forward prices
The NDC
- 78206-0135-01 · Organon LLC · $38.70415 per EA · eff. 2026-01-01 filed carried forward
Other strengths, forms and brands
5 other products in the NADAC file share the FDA nonproprietary name alendronate sodium with FOSAMAX 70 MG TABLET.
| Product | Pharmacies pay per unit | Medicare per unit |
|---|---|---|
| ALENDRONATE SOD 70 MG/75 ML | $0.68257 per ML filed | We don’t know yet |
| ALENDRONATE SODIUM 10 MG TAB | $0.11123 per EA filed | $0.85218 per EA filed |
| ALENDRONATE SODIUM 35 MG TAB | $0.28125 per EA filed | $0.85218 per EA filed |
| ALENDRONATE SODIUM 70 MG TAB | $0.25627 per EA filed | $0.85218 per EA filed |
| BINOSTO 70 MG EFFERVESCENT TAB | $71.226 per EA filed | $73.80871 per EA filed |
| FOSAMAX 70 MG TABLET this page | $38.70415 per EA filed | $34.22012 per EA filed |
Part D is one average per brand and generic name, over every strength and form.
CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. 2026-01-01, 2026-09-23 · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17
Medicare Part D · DSD_PTD_RY26_P04_V10_DY24_BGM.csv · eff. 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · as of 2026-06-25 · retrieved 2026-10-18
Compared with its class
Its NADAC price is $38.70415 per EA filed.
Of the 14 other products in FDA’s Bisphosphonate class priced per EA, 5 have a higher middle NADAC price and 9 a lower one. The one in the middle is IBANDRONATE SODIUM 150 MG TAB, at $2.67507 per EA filed (eff. 2026-09-23).
Prices are compared per unit, whatever the strength or dose, and a class is not a list of substitutes.
CMS NADAC · nadac-national-average-drug-acquisition-cost-20261014.csv · eff. 2026-01-01, 2026-09-23 · as of 2026-10-14 · retrieved 2026-10-17
What Medicare paid
Medicare Part D paid $1,026.60 for 30 tablets, at an average of $34.22012 per EA in 2024 (2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31) for “Fosamax” and “Alendronate Sodium”, every strength and form sold under that name together (Medicare Part D Spending by Drug, file of 2026-06-25).
That average covers 1,437 Part D claims (fills, including refills) for 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31, across every maker, strength and form under the name.
Medicare's price is not your price.
What Part D spending measures · Which Medicare figure OpenBill compares · How the spread is worked out
What to ask at the counter
None of these figures is your price: what you pay depends on your pharmacy, your insurance, coupons and discounts.
- What is your cash price for 30 tablets? Is it lower than what I would pay through my insurance?
- Is a generic version available, and would it suit me? NADAC lists a generic with the same ingredient, strength and dosage form by FDA: ALENDRONATE SODIUM 70 MG TAB. Ask your pharmacist or prescriber; do not switch on your own.
- If you have Medicare Part D: what is my plan’s copay or coinsurance for it? The Part D average on this page is not what you pay.
- These are questions about price, not medical advice. Do not change or stop a medicine without talking to your prescriber or pharmacist.
Questions
- Why is the comparison with Medicare for FOSAMAX 70 MG TABLET labelled estimated?
- Beyond what the card shows, the records give these reasons: The Part D figure covers 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31; the NADAC price is from the file of 2026-10-14. Part D spending basis, as the Part D record states it: Part D 2024 average spend per dosage unit for Fosamax / Alendronate Sodium: all makers, strengths, forms and routes combined, claim-weighted; gross cost incl. dispensing fees and patient pay, before rebates. Unit taken as NADAC's EA. Joined on brand name.
Related pages
Its pharmacologic class
Related in the same class
- RISEDRONATE SODIUM 150 MG TAB
- FOSAMAX PLUS D 70 MG-2800 UNIT
- IBANDRONATE SODIUM 150 MG TAB
- ZOLEDRONIC ACID 5 MG/100 ML